


Bows & Bento

by ContrEeri



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Rivalry, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:30:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18887221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ContrEeri/pseuds/ContrEeri
Summary: Lee and Neji make unlikely friends at Tenten's archery match.





	Bows & Bento

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for Tea Jikan Konoha High School project. I wasn't able to post this until now, but I was so thrilled to be accepted to this project. For anyone who knows me, y'all know I struggle a lot with slice of life--even more so with word count restrictions! I'm honestly amazed that I managed to be under the word count by two words in all honesty! Also for the project we weren't really allowed to include ships so I kept this as lowkey as possible--technically still GaaLee because it's me, but still within the parameters of what the project wanted. I'm still not sure how much I love this piece, per say, but if it's something people are interested in I may end up writing a sequel. 
> 
> Shoutout to the mods of this project and all the other contributors! And a special shoutout to [a_gay_poster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_gay_poster/pseuds/a_gay_poster) for being such an amazing friend and beta'ng this for me last minute. You're a peach! 
> 
> [Please share the linked version of this fic on tumblr if you can!](https://sagemoderocklee.tumblr.com/post/184997132663/bows-bento-contreeri-naruto-archive-of-our)  
> Hope everyone enjoys!

Lee dropped heavily onto the wooden bench, accidentally jostling the large bento in his arms. Hopefully nothing had been knocked around too terribly. He always prided himself on the presentation of the lunches he made for his best friends, and it would not do to offer Tenten a sloppy bento in celebration of her victory in archery—not that she'd won just yet, but Lee had nothing but faith in her skills. 

“Don't you think you packed too much?” Neji asked beside him, eyeing the many tiers of bento hidden beneath the furisode Lee only used for special occasions. 

“Of course not!” Lee said excitedly. “This is the lunch of a champion! A feast to celebrate Tenten's victory!” 

“Lee,” Neji said, heavily, “there are only three of us.” 

“Then there will be plenty of leftovers!” 

Someone snickered behind them, drawing their attention. The stands were nearly filled by now, students and families from both Konoha High and Suna Prep mingling together. Lee and Neji found themselves face-to-face with two students they didn't recognize—though Lee thought he'd seen the red-headed student somewhere before. He had a memorable face with green eyes accentuated by heavy black rings and a birthmark on his forehead in the shape of a splotchy heart. 

He met Lee's gaze, his own unblinking. Lee's face suffused with heat.

In the seat beside this stranger, an older student elbowed his way into Lee's line of sight. “You got a problem, Bowl-Cut?” 

Lee blinked. “No! Of course not!” 

“You were the one laughing,” Neji remarked, eyeing the older student in annoyance. 

“Was I?” He put on an innocent face, mock confusion in his expression. “Gee, I'm so sorry if I hurt your feelings,” he drawled. 

“Drop it, Kankurou.” 

Kankurou glowered, though there was no heat and only petulance in the look. He leaned back, muttering complaints about 'bratty lil' brothers' under his breath. 

Lee's ears caught some of his words as the archers prepared themselves for the first round. Unable to help himself, he turned and asked, “Are you two brothers?” 

Those intense green eyes found Lee's again. “Yes.” 

Lee's face burned, but before he could say anything, Kankurou cut in, “What's it to ya?” 

“Nothing,” Lee said quickly, as Neji elbowed him. 

“Tenten's up next,” he whispered. “Stop talking to them.” 

“I am sorry,” Lee whispered, his voice carrying. “I was just asking a question.” 

Neji rolled his eyes. One of these days, his eyes were going to get stuck like that, Lee was sure. 

Once he turned back to the match at hand, Lee spotted Tenten waiting patiently for the archer before her to shoot. A girl with spiky blonde hair was drawing her bow back, her gaze as focused and intent as the student behind Lee. She released the arrow—Lee could almost hear the twang of the bowstring as she released it. The arrow sailed towards its target on an elegant arc, slicing through the air with deadly precision. 

It was a direct hit. 

“Yeah, Temari!” Kankurou shouted. 

“Kankurou.”

“Oh, come on, Gaara,” he grumbled. 

“Is she who you are rooting for?” Lee asked, turning back to the two. He directed the question to Gaara, who despite the quiet aura of intimidation, was much easier to talk to than his brother. 

“God, you're nosy,” Kankurou snapped. “She's our big sister. And your friend's about to taste defeat—it'll probably taste just like your lunch.” 

Lee, he was proud to admit, did not allow himself to rise to the bait. “Your sister? You have a big family!” 

“Lee,” Neji whined beside him. “Stop. Talking. To. Them.” 

Lee frowned at Neji. “What is wrong with trying to make friends?” he hissed at Neji. 

Kankurou snorted. “What makes you think we wanna be your friends?” 

Lee's face prickled and he frowned severely at Kankurou. “Well, perhaps I do not want to be your friend!” 

“Oi!” Kankurou began, leaning forward. Gaara stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Kankurou crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatever.” 

“You know what father said about getting into anymore fights,” Gaara said dully, as though the idea of a fight breaking out bored him. 

“Yeah, but it would be so funny to wipe that dumb look off this kid's face.” 

Neji snorted. “I would love to see you try.” 

“Excuse me?” Kankurou asked. Gaara's gaze snapped to Neji, his eyes narrowing. “You tellin' me you gonna stop me, pretty boy?” 

“Hey! Neji is not pretty!” Lee said, jumping to his friend's defense. 

Neji groaned. “Lee.”

The tough guy act surrounding Kankurou cracked, and he fell over laughing. Several onlookers shushed him, but he only managed to stifle his laughter a fraction. “Ya—ya know what? I take it back. I like you, Bowl Cut.” 

Lee hesitated, turning a confused look to Gaara, then to Neji. “What?” 

“He likes funny people,” Gaara said flatly, watching Lee. His gaze flickered back to the match. “Your friend just earned a point.” 

Lee whirled around, scanning the field until he saw Tenten's target with an arrow at the center. “Yosha!” he said, excited and breathless. “Oh, Tenten will be so upset if she knows I was not paying attention.” 

Neji huffed beside him. “I'll be sure to tell her.” 

“Hey! You were not paying attention either,” Lee pointed out. 

“Think Gaara's the only one who was,” Kankurou said, still giggling under his breath and wiping tears from his eyes. “She's good, though. I bet she gives Temari a run for her money.” 

“I thought you said she was going to make us taste defeat?'” 

Kankurou waved off Neji's comment. “What? I gotta talk her up, she's my sister! She'd kill me if I said she wasn't the best.” 

“She's probably going to anyway,” Gaara said. “She was watching you yell at these two.” 

Kankurou paled. “Ah, shit.” 

“Do you think Tenten noticed?” Lee asked Neji, worried. 

“If she didn't, I'd be surprised. You don't know how to whisper, Lee.” 

“Oh, dear.” 

“Your lunch will probably make her less angry,” Gaara suggested. “Kankurou and I didn't bring lunch for Temari.” 

“She's gonna kill me,” Kankurou moaned, hands dragging down his face. “I'mma dead man. Gaara, I want you to have my bike, okay? And tell Dad—tell Dad he's a piece of shit and I hate him. Please?” 

Gaara shook his head, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth. “Kuroari is your favourite bike though.” 

“Yeah,” Kankurou said forlornly. “We had a good run, but I have to accept my fate.”

“If you would like,” Lee said, glancing from the match back to Gaara and Kankurou, “you could join us after the match! I made quite a lot of food, and I am sure it would make your sister feel better to know that you did not get into a fight.” 

Kankurou frowned thoughtfully. “You're a weird guy, Bowl-Cut.” 

“You have no idea,” Neji said, exasperated and fond. Lee flushed. 

“I do not think I am weird,” Lee said defensively. 

“You're weird,” Kankurou said, dropping his voice. “Most people wouldn't offer to share their lunch with the person who was gonna kick their ass five minutes ago.” 

Lee laughed. “Oh, that? I was not worried.” 

Kankurou raised an eyebrow, looking back at Gaara and then to Neji. “Does he even have a survival instinct?” 

Neji chuckled. “No. But he's right not to worry. He's a black belt in several forms of Kung Fu.” 

Kankurou leaned back, whistling. “Oh, we got ourselves a regular ol' Bruce Lee, huh?” 

Lee blushed at the compliment, a bright smile fighting its way onto his face. “Oh, gosh, no! I am certainly not that good! Bruce Lee was a master, he was unparalleled!” 

“Lee, just take the compliment. Oh, your sister's up.” 

Temari rose from her position on the ground, her movements careful and controlled, her bow at the ready. She stood tall, turning her head towards the target at a contained pace. Her gaze seemed to reach across the stretch of grass that separated her from her target. She pulled the bowstring back, inch by inch, the muscles in her arm tensing as the bowstring fought against her pull. 

She waited a beat and then—

 _Twang!_ Her arrow flew, hitting the target dead center, nearly on top of the first arrow she'd shot.

She bowed and returned to her seat, her hawk-like gaze on Tenten's back as Tenten rose. The polite round of applause for Temari died as Tenten took up position, her movements as precise and calculated as Temari's. 

Lee wished he could watch Temari and Tenten draw at the same time; he had a feeling they were almost evenly matched in skill. 

“Come on, Tenten,” he breathed, leaning forward in his seat and clutching the bento tight in excitement. 

_Twang! Thwap!_ The arrow hit true, resting artfully above her first arrow within the smallest white circle at the target's center.

“She did it,” Neji breathed beside him. 

“Did you have any doubt?” Lee asked, grinning. 

Neji smiled, watching Tenten kneel again. “Not even a little.” 

“She and Temari are tied,” Kankurou pointed out behind them. “Those other two need to get this point, otherwise they'll lose.” 

“They're nervous,” Gaara pointed out. “They won't win.” 

Sure enough, the third archer's shot failed to land, and though the fourth archer hit her target it was by bare centimeters.

The third round commenced as Temari rose to her feet. Her movements held the same poise as the last round, not an ounce of worry nor joy in her expression. Her mind was clear and focused. She released her arrow on a measured breath that seemed to carry her arrow straight to its destination. A cluster of three arrows now rested in a tight bundle in her target. 

Tenten rose to her feet as Temari kneeled. 

Silence fell on the stands as Tenten pulled her bowstring back. Lee could almost hear the strain as she held it tight, clearing her mind, focusing on her target. Her hand shook with the strength of her draw, her gaze was blank and unwavering, the arrow straight and waiting. 

It flew in the blink of an eye, hitting the target between the first and second arrow, forming a line of three. 

Neji chuckled. “They're not competing against the other two,” he said. “They're competing against each other.” 

Lee turned to look at Neji. “What do you mean?” 

“Temari's clustered her arrows at the center, so Tenten is showing her control by drawing them in a line.” 

“But—that does not mean anything,” Lee said, confused. He watched as Tenten returned to her own seat, a small grin on her face. Behind her, Temari was glaring. 

Kankurou laughed. “Don't tell me Tenten's the one Temari's got it in for?” 

Lee turned. “What do you mean? Why would she have it in for Tenten?!” 

“Temari has a rivalry with someone from your school,” Gaara explained. “It's safe to assume it's Tenten.” 

Neji made a thoughtful noise, then snorted. “Tenten's told me about someone from the Suna team she doesn't like. An upperclassman with blonde hair and a cocky attitude.” 

“Sounds like Temari, all right,” Kankurou said grinning. 

“Tenten never told me about that!” 

“That's because she knows how you get about competition,” Neji said. “It's really not that intense, Lee. She and Temari are pretty evenly matched. It's just a silly game where they try and one up each other.”

Lee subsided into a petulant silence, watching as the last archer let her third arrow fly. The arrow missed, leaving Temari and Tenten in the lead with three points each. 

“This is it,” Lee said, and all four leaned forward as Temari stood for her final shot. 

The crowd had stilled, falling so quiet that the gentle breeze was loud in Lee's ears. He watched Temari's gaze shift, watched her fingers as they released her arrow, watched as it soared through the air until— 

“YES!” Kankurou shouted. Temari's arrow had hit the center of her target, completing the collection of bundled arrows. 

“Be quiet!” someone snapped from the front. 

Kankurou ignored them as he watched his sister return to her position with a satisfied smile on her face. “I knew she'd win!” 

“Tenten still has to shoot!” Lee pointed out, bracing himself as Tenten rose to her feet. 

Tenten's gaze lingered for a brief second on Temari's distant target before she closed her eyes. She drew her bow with her eyes closed, taking slow and soothing breaths. Once her arm was as far back as the bowstring would allow, she opened her eyes and released her arrow. 

Lee held his own breath as the arrow sped towards the target. For a heart-stopping moment, he was sure it had lost momentum and was losing altitude, but then— _Thwack!_

“YOSHA! TENTEN!” Lee cried, jumping up from his seat to cheer. Her arrow had hit true, creating a perfect diagonal line. He held his bento close to his chest, jumping up and down for joy. Neji quickly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tugged him back to his seat. 

“Lee, be quiet,” he hissed. 

“But—”

“Yeah, Bowl-Cut, it's an archery match. You can't just shout like that,” Kankurou teased, a cheeky grin on his face. 

Lee huffed, indignant. “I was celebrating her victory!” 

“Celebrate it quietly,” Neji said, looking around at the annoyed spectators who were watching them. 

Gaara gave a soft, breathy laugh. He glanced over his shoulder to find Gaara watching him, but he quickly returned his gaze to the remaining archers.

His attention was divided now between the rest of the final round and Gaara's gaze, still drilling a hole into the back of his head. He fidgeted with the furisode around his bento, trying to focus as the third archer's arrow flew and missed. He fought to keep his eyes on the field, watching with an intensity that made his eyes water as the fourth archer made her shot. She was still a point behind Tenten and Temari, though.

“Well, that's it,” Kankurou said loudly, startling Lee. “Temari and Tenten are the winners!” 

“I can see why Tenten considers Temari-san her rival! Your sister is an impressive archer!” 

“Yeah, no kiddin',” Kankurou said, getting to his feet. “And she's got a mean right hook, too.” 

“She and Tenten have a lot in common,” Neji said as he rose from his seat.

Down below, Tenten and Temari seemed to be having a staring contest with one another as they shook hands, but Lee was more concerned with the green eyes still staring at him. 

“So did you want to join us for lunch?” he asked, a hesitant note creeping into his voice as he glanced back at Gaara. 

The corner of Gaara's mouth lifted into a minuscule smile.

Lee's answering smile was a thousand-watts of joy.


End file.
